'Perique' has leaves that are medium-sized, glossy in texture, gummy and tough but have fine fiber with small stems. It has been historically used as a smoking, chewing, cigar, and cigarette variety. It is generally not used exclusively but rather used sparingly in mixes to add body and dimension to a blend.

'Perique' tobacco (the plant) is a specific, unique, variety which you can grow anywhere that tobacco can be grown. However, for clarity sake, there is a tobacco leaf product marketed as "Perique" tobacco. Unless you grow it in Louisiana’s St. James Parish and follow the now centuries-old traditional curing processes, what you grow in your garden will not be Perique the product.

This is not to say that you cannot find success in your garden. We just want to explain the difference between "Perique" the tobacco product and 'Perique' the tobacco variety that both originate from Louisiana's St. James Parish.

The history of the variety dates back to the beginning of tobacco production in St. James Parish. In the late 1700s, a man named Pierre Chenet introduced tobacco cultivation to his fellow Arcadian countrymen. He not only taught them how to successfully grow the crops, but also how to cure and prepare it for market in tightly wrapped rolls called "carottes." In honor of his efforts, they called this plant, and the process, "Perique."

Tobacco plants are very interesting, ornamental, and have uses apart from consumption. This section of the website is intended for the historical and informational purposes of thinking adults. Anyone who has been raised since the turn of the 20th century already knows that tobacco can be addictive and can contribute to various medical ailments. If you do not smoke, it would seem illogical to start. We in no way encourage people to use any form of tobacco product.